ACMI 2024: Liquid by Sebastian Quesada

As part of the 2024 Akropolis Chamber Music Institute, Akropolis and participants premiered new works by 4 participant composers.
"Liquid" was composed by Sebastian Quesada and performed by Julia Bobell (oboe), Megan Castaneda (clarinet), Matthias Roth (saxophone), Andrew Koeppe (bass clarinet), Haley Houk (bassoon), and Jonah Schertz.
The three movements are:
I. Acuamancy
II. Rain
III. Torrent
""Liquid" is a three-movement work for reed quintet and vibraphone. For the piece, I was inspired by the property of liquids of taking the shape of its container and still retaining a uniform consistency (unless mixed with a different immiscible liquid). Taking this property as a compositional principle, "Liquid" arises from a single idea or theme that transforms and mutates according to the form that the music takes in each of the movements. The main material is played by the saxophone at the beginning of the first movement and from there the piece develops
variations, new themes and sections built both from that main material and from the context in which it unravels.
Additionally, I consider that the analogy of a material that takes the shape of the container that holds it also applies to the creative process of any work. Personally, I believe that many of the musical decisions we make when writing a piece are informed directly or indirectly by the things
we see, the experiences we live, or the people we surround ourselves with. From this perspective, I see a composer's context as the vessel that provides shape to the creative process.
"Liquid," thus, was the result of experiences, situations, and inspirations lived in Michigan and Costa Rica thanks to the interactions I shared with people I love and admire." ~ Composer Sebastian Quesada
Sebastian Quesada is a Costa Rican composer interested in exploring the ambiguous and subjective nature of music to evoke specific imagery. Through a blend of diverse genres and processes, his compositions aim to address musical narratives that are connected to our cultural and social perceptions.
His work typically uses music as a vehicle to metaphorically delve into concepts outside of the musical realm, integrating both traditional and modern languages and techniques. Quesada’s pieces span a variety of media, including large and chamber ensembles, solo pieces, incidental works, installations, and more. His music has been performed in North, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia by different ensembles such as the Harlem String Quartet, the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, the Oberlin Symphony Orchestra and Reverso Trio, among others.
Quesada's pieces have been selected for performance at the SOLI Chamber Ensemble's 30x30x30 Project, Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival, and the International Trombone Festival. His music has also been recorded. Particularly noteworthy are the projects with Thomas Mesa and Michelle Cann through a grant from PARMA Recordings and the Sphinx Organization, as well as the recording with Latin-Grammy Award winner Eddie Mora. Among his awards and honors are the first place in the 2020 Barbara Wagner Composition Commission Competition, the winner of the 2014 Orchestra Readings for Young Composers by the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica and a runner-up of the 2020 Guitar Composition Contest "Promises of the Guitar." In addition, he is a Future of Music Faculty Fellow through the Cleveland Institute of Music with support from the Sphinx Venture Fund and was the composer in residence for Willapa Bay AiR in June 2023.
Quesada holds degrees in composition from Michigan State University (D.M.A.), Truman State University (M.M.) and University of Costa Rica (B.A.). He has studied with Ricardo Lorenz, Zhou Tian, Charles Gran, Victor Marquez-Barrios, Carlos Castro and Luis José Herra. He also holds a M.M. in Music Theory from Michigan State University.
Recorded at Voorhies Hall in Bay View, MI, August 10, 2024. Audio and video recorded by Dave Schall.
Find out more about the Akropolis Chamber Music Institute here: akropolisquint...